Baseball training aid

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to training aids for baseball including a truncated and hinged bat-like device comprised of a first handle portion hinged to a barrel portion so that swinging the device grooves and fortifies a motion consistent with a pro batting swing, and variations thereof.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to training aids for baseballincluding a truncated and hinged bat-like device comprised of a firsthandle portion hinged to a barrel portion so that swinging the devicegrooves and fortifies a motion consistent with a pro batting swing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The advent of ultra-light aluminum bats are giving youthslearning the art or science of hitting a baseball bad habits becausethese light bats can be easily swung without proper body and arm motion.Especially in fast-pitch hard ball, neophytes who do not have propertraining have a tendency to become accustomed to an abbreviated arm andwrist motion to just make contact with the ball. Especially as thevelocity of the pitches increases, the rebound effects of modem aluminumbats allows the ball to travel far even without the proper flat swing.

[0003] This is in contrast to the old days of heavier wood bats whenparticipants had to use their bodies and muscles in a coordinated swingfully utilizing their shoulders, hips, thighs, arms and torso. Thesemodem bad habits magnify and create barriers to proper developmentespecially when participants make the jump from grade school (LittleLeague or Pony League) to high school where the rules require the use ofa heavier aluminum bat; and even more apparent when participants go fromcollege to professional leagues where players must transition to evenheavier wood bats. Accordingly, the participants who have never beenproperly trained and try to make the transition from light to heavy batsare most likely to be handicapped, washed out or not to succeed.

[0004] Accordingly, the present inventions allows participants to trainto use the proper body and arm motion and emphasize the rotation of thearms, torso, hips and thighs as well as facilitate the follow through toprepare an individual for a proper high school, college or pro swing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, thereis provided a baseball training aid having a first portion hinged to asecond portion. The first portion includes a handle portion which isconnected by means of a hinge or resilient member to the second portionhaving a weighted barrel.

[0006] The barrel can be either cylindrical in cross-section or can havea flat portion to encourage or facilitate a flat level swing. This canbe further encouraged by having a hinge with pivot points designed torestrict the motion in the horizontal direction.

[0007] Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to facilitateproper body, arm and shoulder rotation, weight distribution, and followthrough to prepare participants for advanced baseball.

[0008] Accordingly, there is described herein, a batting training aidcomprising of a first portion having a proximal and distal end, a hingemechanism, pivotally attached to the distal end of the first portion; asecond portion with a second proximal and second distal end, theproximal end being connected by said hinge to said first portion; saidfirst barrel being of sufficient length so that when the battingtraining aid is swung and the second portion swings and collapses uponthe first, the handle is cleared and the batter's hands are not hit.

[0009] There is also described a baseball training aid comprising, a bathandle member, a barrel member, a hinge pivotally connecting the bathandle member and barrel member to one another, the barrel member havinga flat striking surface to encourage a flat swing. Additionallydescribed is a baseball training aid comprising a bat with a knob at itsproximal end and a flat striking surface at its distal end, and anannular grip member positioned over the handle and suitably moveablethereon so that the annular member can be gripped near the hinge areawhen the practice swing is initiated and towards the knob when the swingprogress is finished.

[0010] These and further options and advantages of the present inventionwill be apparent from the following description when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings which show, for the purpose ofillustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the principleof the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of the training aidwith the first portion hinged to the second portion in accordance withthe present invention.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a top view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 and shows apreferred embodiment utilizing unidirectional hinge which urges the batportions of the training aid swing in the horizontal plane.

[0013]FIG. 3 is an illustration showing a more correct way to swing abat using torso rotation and engaging the hips, legs, body and arms.

[0014]FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of FIG. 1 with a flat barrelportion.

[0015]FIG. 4A shows a side view of the flat barrel portion of FIG. 4.

[0016]FIG. 5 illustrates, in succeeding screen shots, the approximaterotation and translation of the first and second portions of thetraining aid including how it transitions across the body and throughthe forced follow through.

[0017]FIG. 6 shows another embodiment where weights are added to theinside of the bat. The weights are threaded over a bolt fastened at theend and are added inside.

[0018]FIG. 7 shows how the bolt can be outward so that weights are addedto the outside.

[0019]FIG. 8 shows weights added to the handle portion.

[0020]FIG. 9 shows foam or similar padding added to the outside of thesecond barrel to minimize injury.

[0021]FIG. 10 shows another embodiment wherein the second barrel portionis fitted with fins that force the swing to be close to the body and theknob of the bat to proceed first to the impact point.

[0022]FIG. 11 shows yet another embodiment where the fins are located inthe first portion of training aid and an optional sleeve is utilized tofix the positions of the first and second members.

[0023]FIG. 13 shows another embodiment where a unitary bat with a flathitting surface is fitted with a spacer to separate the hands and urge aflat swing.

[0024]FIG. 14 shows another embodiment where a unitary bat with a flathitting surface is filled with a sleeve which can move from twopositions causing the hands to initially be apart at the load positionbut come together at impact.

[0025]FIG. 15 shows a unitary bat with a flat hitting portion and finsfor air resistance training.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, the baseball training aid includes a firstportion 6 and a second portion 8, where the first portion 6 is joinedwith the second portion 8 by a pivotal connection such as a hinge 18.The first portion includes a knob 10 at its proximal end followed by agrip 11 on handle 12. A first barrel portion 14 is located adjacent tothe handle. A transverse hole 5 is located in said distal portionthrough which a first pivot pin 20 can be located. Hinge 18 is pivotallyconnected to first portion 6 using first pivot pin 20 and second pivotpin 22 which is located in a similar transverse hole in the proximalportion of second section 8 which includes second barrel 16. As apreferred embodiment, the first portion is 22½ inches long and thesecond portion is inches long. In this preferred embodiment which wasdirected to training a 12-year-old little leaguer, the weight of thefirst portion is and the weight of the second portion is about 1 lb. Thediameter of the second barren portion is 2 inches while the diameter ofthe first barren varies from 1½ to 2 inches, while the length of thefirst barren is about 6 inches long. Again in the preferred embodiment,the distance between the first pivot pin and the distal end of the firstportion is about 1 inch and the distance between the second pivot pinand the proximal end of the second portion is about 1 inch. The hinge'slength is 2½ inches by 2¼ inches.

[0027] In the preferred embodiment and as shown in FIG. 2, the pivotalconnection is provided by hinge mechanism 18 which urges unidirectionalrotation and therefore the overall swing is attempted to be restrictedto substantially one plane to groove the swing in a substantiallyhorizontal direction—although the hinge could be replaced by othersimilar apparatus. In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2 the hinge arm(horizontal) portions 19 are about 2½ inches long and the verticalportions 17 are about 2¼ inches long.

[0028] As mentioned previously, a typical flawed swing is often causedby kids being spoiled by the ultra-light nature of the aluminum bat andthe trampoline effect of these bats which drive the ball great distanceswithout proper arm and body rotation. Especially as the kids get older,and the velocity of the pitches increase, participants using theseultra-light bats have a tendency to just stick the bat out in the way ofthe ball to just make contact and not properly use their wrists and nottheir arms, hips, thighs and torsos. In contrast, the same swing with awooden bat would not produce nearly the same impact or distance. In manyinstances, the problems with these hand swings are also compounded byhitting the ball too much in front, which is worsened by, in manyinstances, the participant stepping frontward, causing the body to bepivoted on the front foot and the swing deprived of the benefits of thepush from the back foot followed by rotation of the trunk and arms andfully utilizing the hips, thighs, and torso. During the days whenheavier bats were used, participants had to use their bodies, their hipsand their arms as if they were swinging an ax to cut down a tree.Indeed, it is reported that the legendary player Ted Williams practicedhis baseball swing by chopping down trees with an ax. Accordingly, oneof the purposes of the invention is to build up good habits as was donewith the wooden bat and as illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0029]FIG. 3 is an illustration of the correct way that the bat shouldbe swung with hips turned, body back, no front step and the ball is hitin front of the body over the front foot. This is the method which thepresent invention tries to groove.

[0030]FIG. 4 shows the device in FIG. 1 where the second portion of thebarrel has a front striking surface which is flat to further groove aflat swing. If a ball is pitched to the batter using this training aidand the swing is not flat, it will be difficult to get a correct hit.

[0031]FIG. 5 is a global top view of the operation of the battingtraining aid which is the subject of this invention. The drawing shows atop view of the operation of the bat starting with the bat being inPosition 1 proceeding counter-clockwise from approximately the 4 p.m.position on a clock. The head of a right-handed person swinging the batis shown by numeral 100. The person is facing north or 12:00 p.m. Thearms are not shown.

[0032] In Position 1, at about 4:00 p.m., the weight is evenlydistributed from front to back foot and the batter is in “loaded”position which, in a right-hand batter, means that the bat is generallyover the right shoulder. Because the subject batting aid is heavy,especially with a younger participant, full extension might beproblematic if someone was using a large adult bat. In most instances akid would not be able to hold a heavy adult bat upright. The subjectinvention solves this problem by operation of the hinged embodimentwhich folds the bat and makes the center of gravity lower and muchcloser to the shoulders and the head, making it easier for a kid to“load” with a heavy batting aid.

[0033] Going now to Position 2, at about 3 p.m., in order to make thetransition from folded bat position to a straighter position where thesecond portion of the bat is generally aligned in relation to the frontportion, the participant is forced to bring the knob of the batgenerally forward and rotate the body around an imaginary axis ofrotation through the head. As the rotation of the batter continues, thefirst and second portion of the batting aid becomes more generallyaligned as shown in Position 3. Once again, because of the weight of thebat and the momentum caused, balance and stability must be maintainedthrough almost equal weight distribution to both feet while a turningthrough the aforementioned axis of rotation using the hips, arms, andtorso. When the bat reaches Position 4, at about 12 p.m., the momentumcaused by the second portion of the training aid translating androtating by means of the hinge encourages the bat to be over the frontfoot—basically the ideal place a ball can be properly hit using thesubject invention. If the leading end of the second portion is flat, asshown in FIG. 4, and if the hinge is constructed so as to encouragehorizontal motion, such as shown in FIG. 2, the additional goal ofgrooving a flat swing is also encouraged. The benefits of this trainingcan be emphasized by throwing a wiffle ball and forcing the hitter totry to make contact with the outer barrel—which can best be achievedwith weight forward and the hips rotated. The bat position from Position4 to Position 5 in FIG. 5, shows how the momentum of the hinged secondportion causes a pendulum motion and ultimately the roll of the wristand the follow through ending up in Position 6.

[0034] In operation, when the participant practices using this trainingaid, the participant builds up his/her muscles and grooves a horizontalswing using the correct muscle groups with the knob of the bat pulledthrough the swing first and the flip of the wrist occurring only afterthe knob is generally over the front foot, followed by a progressivefollow through which automatically occurs because of the momentum of thesecond portion of the bat and the pendulum action caused by the hingingmovement.

[0035] Other embodiments encompassed by this invention is shown in FIG.6 where weights 30 are added within a hollow outer barrel portion 32.The weights are threaded over a bolt 34 fastened at the end and areadded inside. The bolt can be inward or outward 36 as shown in FIG. 7where weights are added to the outside, a much easier feat, and fastenedwith a nut 37. FIG. 8 shows weights 39 added to the first portion eitherthrough an opening in the handle 41 or distal thereto. FIG. 9 shows thatthe building up of foam 38 or similar padding to the outside of the batto minimize injury.

[0036]FIG. 10 shows another embodiment where the second barrel portionis fitted with fins 40 that create air resistance and force the swing tobe close to the body and the knob of the bat 42 to proceed firstpreventing what is called “early casting” where the wrists break tooearly and before the impact point. If the swing is not proper, it willsimply be too difficult to get the second portion smoothly through thehitting zone. FIG. 11 shows yet another embodiment with fins 44 added tothe first portion of bat 46 near the handle. FIG. 11 shows yet anotherembodiment where a slideable sleeve 46 is utilized to fix the positionsof the first and second members, so that they can be adapted to eitherswing freely as in FIG. 10 or be unitary as in FIG. 13.

[0037] In the embodiment of FIG. 13, instead of a hinged embodimentthere is shown a unitary bat structure having a handle 48 and a flatstriking surface 50. The handle has a spacer 52 which holds the handsapart from one another. This encourages or grooves a flat swing and theproper arm and body motion as described earlier, analogous to a hockeyswing. In the preferred embodiment, the flat portion is 14 inches longwhile the overall bat length was 34 inches long. The spacer is 6 incheslong.

[0038] Yet another embodiment is shown in FIG. 14 which illustrates anembodiment similar to FIG. 13 but where an annular member 54 ispositioned to slide over the handle portion of the bat from Position 1(56) to Position 2 (58). With a right-handed batter, the left hand isplaced adjacent to the knob while the right hand is placed over theannular member a distance away. The batter starts the swing with hands adistance apart at the load position but as the swing is initiated andthe bat rotates into the hitting zone, the hands come together againurging a flat swing.

[0039] In the embodiment in FIG. 15 the flat striking surface trainingbat as illustrated in FIG. 13 is shown with the addition of fins 58. Inthe preferred embodiment, four fins are placed in the area between thehandle and striking area. The fins add air resistance to the swing notonly building up strength but preventing early casting. The flatstriking surface allows the training aid to be used to hit practiceballs further grooving a flat swing because of the flat striking area.If the swing is not flat, it will be difficult to hit the ball.

[0040] While we have shown and described various embodiments inaccordance with the present invention, it should be clear to thoseskilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without theparting of the scope and spirit of this concept.

1. A batting training aid comprising of a first portion having aproximal and distal end, a hinge mechanism, pivotally attached to thedistal end of the first portion; a second portion with a second proximaland second distal end, the proximal end being connected by said hinge tosaid first portion; said first barrel being of sufficient length so thatwhen the batting training aid is swung and the second portion swings andcollapses upon the first, the handle is cleared and the batter's handsare not hit.
 2. The training aid of claim 1 whereby the first portionhas a first removable weight;
 3. The training aid of claim 2 inaccordance with claim whereas the second portion has a second removableweight.
 4. The training aid of claim 1 whereby the hinge mechanismincludes a first pin a second pin and lateral connections connected tosaid pins and located so as to constrain the movement of the secondbarrel in relation to the first barrel in substantially one plane. 5.The batting aid of claim 1 where the second portion has a flat hittingsurface.
 6. The batting aid of claim 1 where the second portion has afoam covering.
 7. The batting aid of claim 1 where the second portionhas fins mounted thereon to provide air resistance.
 8. The batting aidof claim 1 where the first portion has fins mounted thereon to provideair resistance.
 9. A baseball batting training aid comprised of a batwith a handle portion a flat surfaced hitting portion and a plurality offins placed in the area between the handle and the flat striking portionso that air resistance is added during the practice and a proper flatbaseball swing is encouraged.
 10. A baseball training aid comprising, abat handle member, a barrel member, a hinge pivotally connecting the bathandle member and barrel member to one another, the barrel member havinga flat striking surface to encourage a flat swing.
 11. The invention ofclaim 10 whereby the hinge is comprised of parallel pins connected tolateral members whereby the axis of the pins is substantially inalignment with the flat striking surface to encourage a flat swing. 12.A baseball training aid comprising a bat with a knob at its proximal endand a flat striking surface at its distal end, and an annular gripmember positioned over the handle and suitably moveable thereon so thatthe annular member can be gripped near the hinge area when the practiceswing is initiated and towards the knob when the swing progress isfinished.
 13. A mace-like batting aid comprised of a first and secondportion connected by a resilient member, the first portion having finsfor air resistance.
 14. The invention of claim 13 including an annularring-like member which can be slid into position to make the batting aidunitary.
 15. A baseball training aid comprising a bat with a knob at itsproximal end and a flat striking surface at its distal end and a spacerbetween the two ends to separate the hands.